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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · bat · tear · bulb · pop · land · bank · press

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. land — a country
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — to come down
  7. bank — for money
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. board — a committee
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — soda
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. press — to push
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. land — ground
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — of a river

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com